Chapter 42. Subjugating the Bandits (2)
Chaeng, chaaeng!
“Keke, kekekeke!”
Pa Jin-seong’s sword swung wildly.
The sword of Hainan, extending from his left hand, was as relentless as a wave, and in just three or four exchanges, two of the attackers were beheaded.
“Geureureuk.”
Plop, plop.
They collapsed like puppets with their strings cut.
“Euu, euaaa……”
“Kyaaaaaa!!”
At that mont, the remaining attackers, realizing they were no match, dropped their weapons and started to flee.
However, Pa Jin-seong did not let them go so easily.
Puk, seogeok!
“Keu, kyaak!!”
“Kehek!”
Two of those who were fleeing with their backs turned were successively pierced by the sword. Beyond the figures that fell helplessly, one last person was running away.
“Kehe, where do you think you’re going alone?!”
Tak, seogeok!
“Kyaaaaaaahk!”
Pa Jin-seong’s sword, which had closed the distance in a single step, slashed the enemy’s ankle. The last attacker, who had lost a foot in an instant, tumbled to the ground.
Grabbing the struggling man, Pa Jin-seong returned to the group. He threw him down in front of Gongson Su as if to show off.
“Kekeke, how was that? Clean, right?”
“Well, you’ve dealt with everything in sight. Leaving one alive isn’t bad either.”
“Kehehe! That’s a given!”
With the struggling attacker before them, Pa Jin-seong and Gongson Su conversed nonchalantly.
“……”
Lee Byeok and Eon Mi-hee could not react at all. In a flash, the enemies had already lost their lives at Pa Jin-seong’s hands.
He had cut down people.
But that fact seed to be of no great concern to Gongson Su and Pa Jin-seong.
Slap!
“Hey, say sothing. If you talk, I’ll let you live. Who are you affiliated with? Who ordered you to do this? Or are you really just bandits?”
“Geueu, geuheuuu, geuheuu……”
Gongson Su sat down and grabbed the enemy with the slashed ankle. She slapped his face, but the enemy only groaned and rolled his eyes.
“Ah. This won’t do. He doesn’t seem to be in his right mind. It looks like he’s high on so strange drug……”
Huu, Gongson Su shook her head.
And the next mont, a dagger flowed out of Gongson Su’s sleeve like a snake.
Puk!
“Keok, keoheok, geureureuk!”
The blade dug into his throat. The enemy, who had been convulsing and foaming at the mouth with blood for a mont, soon went limp.
“Alright, that’s the end of it.”
“Wh-what are you doing……?”
Eon Mi-hee barely managed to open her mouth.
“Hm? What is it?”
“He-he couldn’t even resist… y-you didn’t have to kill that person like that……?”
“What foolishness are you talking about, Unni?”
Gongson Su tilted her head.
She seed genuinely puzzled.
“If we let him live and send him off, he might gather more of his comrades from sowhere and co back, right? It’s not like bandits just sprout from the ground.”
“…E-even so, to a person—!”
“Hmph, what kind of damn righteous faction fool is spouting this nonsense? If I die instead, will Buddha praise ?”
“……”
Gongson Su, who had been looking at Eon Mi-hee for a mont, raised her hand and pointed at the campfire.
Arrows were stuck in the ground where the party had been staying just a mont before.
“If we weren’t martial artists and were just ordinary commoners, we would have been skewers by now, right?”
“……”
“Unni, chivalry is good and rcy is good, but. If you foolishly let them go like a naive bear, you’ll get your own guts torn out. Are you sure you’re suited to being a martial artist?”
Warak, Eon Mi-hee’s expression crumpled wretchedly. It was then that she was about to approach Gongson Su.
“…Enough. Calm yourself.”
Lee Byeok blocked Eon Mi-hee.
***
The party stayed up almost all night.
Afterward, Gongson Su searched the bodies, but there seed to be no significant findings.
Neigh!
And as dawn began to break, the party finished their preparations and set out on the mountain path on horseback.
There was no conversation, and a cold air hung between them.
—Actually, I wouldn’t want to be close to soone who is unfazed after killing a person… I was relieved that you aren’t that kind of person, Young Master.
Eon Mi-hee had said such words before.
To Lee Byeok as well, the Gongson Su and Pa Jin-seong of last night felt like entirely different people.
Killing was as light as a daily routine.
It was as if it was mocking Lee Byeok, who was on a journey with a killing intent lodged in his heart after just a single murder.
However… he didn’t feel like blaming the two. It was certainly not a wrong judgnt.
In the first place, was there ever a right or wrong in killing and being killed in the Jianghu Murim?
Lee Byeok already knew.
It was a question with no answer.
“Ah, it’s a village.”
Suddenly, Gongson Su spoke.
Eventually, around the ti the sky was filled with yang energy, a fence revealed itself in the distance before the party.
It was the village they should have arrived at last night according to their original schedule.
Lee Byeok suddenly felt a sense of fatigue.
Only when the village was in sight did he realize he hadn’t rested properly. And that was probably the sa for everyone in the party.
Slap!
At that mont, Eon Mi-hee slapped her own cheeks audibly. As the party’s gazes turned to her, Eon Mi-hee ducked her head low.
“…Miss Gongson, Young Master Pa. I’m sorry about what happened last night. Thinking about it again, I was foolish.”
“Hmph! What’s with stating the obvious!”
Pa Jin-seong snorted.
“Miss, you’re still young so you might not know, but you know what? In this neighborhood, from the mont you draw your sword, you have to accept that you might die. Kekeke!”
“Yes, that’s right, Young Master Pa.”
Gongson Su smiled brightly.
“But do you rember? You also drew your sword on us in Guiyang at first, didn’t you?”
“…Kehe.”
Pa Jin-seong quietly lowered his head.
Afterward, a few light words were exchanged between Gongson Su and Eon Mi-hee, and the atmosphere lightened sowhat.
Eon Mi-hee showed a smile, albeit an awkward one. Lee Byeok guessed her inner thoughts from that expression.
Even if there was no clear answer, she would move forward no matter what. She was not so different from himself.
And as the village grew closer, Lee Byeok felt his heart gradually beco at ease.
The sight of the fence nestled at the foot of the mountain… was quite similar to that of Flower Pavilion Village.
“Wait.”
But then, Gongson Su extended her arm to stop the party. The party halted their horses in unison.
“Sothing’s a bit strange.”
“Eh? What is?”
“It’s this ti of day… but there’s no smoke from cooking fires rising at all. I hope it’s just my imagination, but……”
“……”
The party slowed their horses.
They approached the village cautiously. And as they got closer, they began to feel things that were clearly strange.
The surroundings were uncannily silent.
Above all… the sll of blood lingered.
Flap!
Lee Byeok looked up above his head.
A flock of crows was occupying the tree branches. The procession, which implied death, led exactly towards the village.
“……”
Wordless gazes were exchanged among the party mbers. The party dismounted their horses without a sound and hid their bodies in the bushes.
“It seems those guys from yesterday… their main force was here all along.”
A mont of silence.
Gongson Su said in a low voice.
“To attack a mountain village, wipe everyone out, and make it their own stronghold… well, it’s not sothing unimaginable.”
“……”
“Alright, let’s find another way.”
Flinch, Eon Mi-hee’s pupils trembled. Pa Jin-seong also tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.
“Eh? Why? They’re just bandits, aren’t they? We can just kill them all—”
“Why should we?”
“…Well, I an.”
“We have no idea how many people are in there, what the level of the leader is even if the grunts are nothing, we know nothing at all.”
“……”
“Of course, no matter how strong a re bandit is, there’s a limit. But there are only four of us, and if we let our guard down for a mont and get unlucky, our heads could fly off. Why should we take such a risk?”
“B-but……”
Eon Mi-hee cautiously opened her mouth.
“Inside there… there might still be villagers who were captured alive……?”
“Perhaps. But what if there aren’t?”
Gongson Su’s tone was firm.
“Well, judging by the atmosphere, it seems they were attacked not long ago. But you never know. They might have killed everyone, or already sold them off sowhere.”
“……”
“If it really bothers you, let’s stop by the nearest city and inform the authorities. That’s the best we can do.”
Eon Mi-hee closed her mouth.
Squeeze, her fists clenched. But Gongson Su’s words were close to sound reasoning. There was nothing to refute.
“……”
Lee Byeok gasped for breath.
His breathing beca ragged and his heart wavered. The Innate energy activated the Azure River Flowing Leaf Art, calming his mind.
Anxiety… was rising in his heart.
Lee Byeok thought about the reason why. The reason was clear. It was because, for a brief mont, he had seen Flower Pavilion Village superimposed on that village.
Of course, that couldn’t be.
But what if his martial brothers, Wang Suyeon, and Jang Seok-du were inside?
It was hard to stop such thoughts.
“…Wait.”
Lee Byeok opened his mouth.
He silently looked at Gongson Su in the silence. Gongson Su, who understood the aning in his eyes, sighed, haa.
“Orabeoni, please be calm.”
“……”
Gongson Su’s words were right.
But if he were to lead the party in there despite that, could he take responsibility for his actions?
“I’ll ask one thing.”
“…Yes, Orabeoni.”
“Are there any known masters at or above the Peak level among the recent bandits?”
“…Pardon?”
Gongson Su frowned.
Psik, she let out a light laugh.
“Of course not. A Peak Master isn't just so household na. Even if you search the top factions in Murim like the Four Great Factions or the Nine Sects One Gang, the number of Peak Masters each possesses is around ten. Even considering the hidden masters, it probably wouldn’t exceed twenty.”
“……”
“Of course, the Jianghu Murim is full of hidden eccentrics and masters as nurous as grains of sand… but there’s no reason for a master of that level to be a bandit. Unless you’re talking about the Green Forest King who was said to have joined the Demonic Cult fifty years ago?”
“I see.”
Clang, Lee Byeok drew his sword.
Flinch, Gongson Su reflexively stepped back. She watched Lee Byeok with a sowhat uneasy gaze.
“……”
…Words alone cannot give faith.
Jaegal Somi had told him to hide his skills as much as possible, but if he wanted the party to follow him, he had no choice but to reveal what he had.
Lee Byeok closed his eyes and drew upon his Innate energy. Soon, the Azure River Flowing Leaf Art circulated and began to layer energy onto the sword.
Woooong.
Sword Force rose.
“…O-orabeoni?”
The symbol of a Peak Master unfolded before their eyes out of nowhere. Uncharacteristically, Gongson Su stuttered.
“Ke, kehe! Kehehe!”
“…My goodness, Young Master……”
Whoosh, the Sword Force subsided.
“Is this enough?”
Lee Byeok opened his eyes again and looked at each of his companions. After sheathing his sword, he bowed his head to the party.
“I don’t want to just pass by. I want to save this village. I want you to help . I promise that no one will die or get seriously injured.”
“……”
Silence fell for a while.
Grab!
The next mont, Gongson Su’s figure moved like the wind. She grabbed Lee Byeok’s arm and began to rub her cheek against his shoulder.
“Yes, Orabeoni~! Of course I'll help. From now on, I'll follow Orabeoni’s will no matter what! With a candidate for the next number one under heaven with us, who cares about so bandits~?”
“……”
The party tied their horses at a distance and approached the village, silencing their footsteps.
There was no presence that reached his senses.
Soon, they approached the vicinity of the fence, but still, there was no sign of human presence. Only the stench of blood filled the air.
“…I’ll go scout for a mont.”
Then Gongson Su stepped forward.
“…Alone?”
“Yes, Orabeoni. Don’t worry. This is what the Dark Shadow Pavilion specializes in.”
Gongson Su showed a smiling eye.
Sueuk.
In an instant, her presence faded.
Even though I was looking right at her, I felt the illusion that her figure was lting into the shadows.
Gongson Su leaped over the fence.
There were no footsteps, and her movents had no weight. It was as if she had passed right through the fence.
“……”
And the remaining party mbers held their breath.
They crouched their bodies in a mixture of anxiety and resolve. Fortunately, not even fifteen minutes had passed before Gongson Su returned to the party.
“It should be fine to just go in.”
“…Why is that?”
“There’s no one in the outskirts. …No living person, that is.”
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